The Good and the Bad

Leaving the Station

Chapter Seven

*~*~*~*

"You gonna answer that?" Peter asked Scout as he watched her pull her phone out of her pocket when it started to ring. Rather than answering it though, she simply tucked it away after seeing who was calling.

"Telemarketer," she lied through her teeth. Hearing her words, Matt couldn't help but glance her way while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You've been getting a lot of those lately," Matt commented. Over the last couple of weeks he hadn't failed to notice how often her phone would ring only for her to ignore the call or send it to voicemail. Every time she claimed it was just a telemarketer or wrong number.

"What can I say? Tis the season to attempt extortion," Scout shrugged. Matt only shook his head before he walked over to the couch, noticing that Mouch was reading rather than just watching TV like usual.

"Why the hell are you studying Japanese?" Matt frowned when he saw the cover of the book.

"I read online that once you turn fifty, your brain starts to atrophy unless you keep it in shape." Mouch explained to them.

"I think that train's already left the station, Mouch," Shay teased the man.

"Say something in Japanese," Cruz challenged.

"I just started," Mouch defended himself.

"Hey, where's Herrmann?" Peter asked, noticing the usually talkative man's absence.

"Tony Robbins seminar?" It came out more as a question when Matt spoke, the blonde more still confused by their friend's excuse for his absence.

"I got twenty bucks says in two weeks, you won't be able to string along a sentence." Otis directed his words back to Mouch.

"Easiest money I ever made," Mouch shrugged.

"And no using Scout as help," Otis added.

"You know Japanese?" Peter raised a brow at the woman in question.

"Do I look like I know Japanese?" Scout scoffed.

"Scout just has knack for learning new languages," Matt clued the candidate in. "Always been able to pick things up pretty easily."

"Except for Spanish for some reason," Gaby pointed out, only earning a middle finger from the other woman in return.

"What's today?" Otis asked no one in particular.

"Um, 29th," Gaby offered.

"Damn it." Matt swore when he heard the date, causing Scout to look his way with a frown playing on her lips-- well aware of what the day was.

"Everything all right?" Gaby asked.

"Yeah. No, I just forgot something," Matt waved it off.

"Hey, everybody," Boden joined them in the kitchen, two other men following right behind him. "We have the pleasure of hosting a couple of visiting firefighters again. This is Gavin and Presley. They will be observing over the next couple of shifts. Lieutenant Casey, Lieutenant Severide, and... the rest of the knuckleheads."

"Love you too, Chief," Scout chuckled at his introduction.

"Hey, guys, thanks so much for allowing us to be here." Gavin spoke up as he looked around at everyone. "And let us know if there's anything we can do to help out."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mouch finally set his book aside at the sound of the man's accent. "Was that a Canadian "out" I heard?"

"Yes, sir. Toronto," Gavin nodded.